Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 109

For a moment, I wondered if I was still caught up in the ghost story of Mumyeong Chanran Temple.

But my fully awakened mind accurately assessed the situation.

‘This is different.’

The Eun Ha-je in front of me was no longer the neat office worker superior in a business suit from my memories.

Rather, she looked like a detective who had been on undercover work for about three days… or yes, like a journalist.

That’s why reality came flooding back.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

I immediately sat up completely in bed.

“Deputy Manager.”

“Yeah.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je nodded.

“First, sorry for suddenly barging into someone’s house. I can’t be seen right now, but I had something I absolutely had to tell you.”

The person who had disappeared for two months and suddenly appeared in someone’s room like a burglar continued speaking while glancing warily outside the window.

As if being pursued by someone.

“…What do you mean you can’t be seen?”

“There’s some stuff like that. Just listen to what I have to say first.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je spoke evasively, then took a deep breath.

“You, the day after tomorrow. So on January 2nd, when you go to work at the company, you’ll be assigned a darkness. …It’ll sound ordinary. It’s C-grade with a complete manual, and other people besides you are going too. But…”

But.

“Don’t go in there.”

“…”

“Avoid it by any means necessary, no, rather just quit or submit a leave of absence. Because…”

The Deputy Manager clenched her teeth then released them.

“If you go in there, you’ll die.”

“…!”

“Don’t ask how I know. Just do as I say…”

“Is it Gwak Je-gang?”

“…!”

Looking at Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s expression, it seems I was right.

‘No way, a death notice right after waking up…’

I got up from the bed and pressed my forehead.

“Why does that Manager want to…”

“We all knew that bastard was a psychopath.”

Can’t argue with that.

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je spoke as if spitting out the words.

“But since you’re so competent and pull off so many brilliant stunts, this time he probably wants to throw you into a deadly situation and see what happens. To watch how you get through it.”

It seems showing off my MZ Power had the opposite effect.

‘Damn.’

Right. That person would be perfect for excitedly throwing me into a strange ghost story under strange conditions, calling me an interesting specimen.

But…

“Deputy Manager, still, isn’t there some probability that I won’t die and will survive?”

“…”

“Besides, if he wants to see how I ‘get through it,’ he’d probably put me in a darkness where there’s a way to survive rather than conditions where I’d definitely die.”

I hate to say this, but I’m an elite in rapid promotion.

I’m also good at networking with higher-ups, so Director Cheong and Director Ho (for reasons I don’t understand) view me favorably.

‘No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like a project where the research team manager alone could just stick me in a deadly position for fun would get approved.’

I might be deployed to dangerous places, but ghost stories themselves are inherently dangerous.

‘Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je herself even said it was a C-grade ghost story with a complete manual.’

Logically, it’s strange.

“But how can you be so certain? That I’m going to die.”

I looked at Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je with eyes hoping for an explanation, and she pressed her brow as if holding back a sigh.

“There’s only one thing I know.”

The Deputy Manager’s hand points at me.

“You’re processed as deceased on January 2nd.”

“…”

“I confirmed that… in a darkness that sees the future.”

“…!”

My goodness.

A ghost story that peeks into the future? There are even several wiki entries that come to mind.

However, setting aside how Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je, who even took leave, managed to access such a darkness…

‘This is strange.’

“So I just went to confirm what darkness you’re being deployed to on the 2nd. Since you saved my life, this much is…”

“Wait a minute. Deputy Manager, this is still strange.”

“What?”

“I’ve also seen the future. You remember the ghost story I was managing, right? The tarot cards.”

“…Yeah.”

“I recently drew a very good card from there. And it hasn’t come true yet.”

I recalled the Sun card I had drawn.

Upright position. A card that unconditionally brings happiness.

“You can’t become happy after dying.”

“You could die after being happy.”

“…”

No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.

But since Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je looked so anxious, and there was no reason for her to lie to me, I nodded for now.

“I understand. I’ll try to come up with a plan.”

“Damn, good.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je looked at the sky briefly as if her tension had eased, then soon muttered as if making excuses.

“Noru, originally I didn’t plan to appear by breaking into your home like this, but it was urgent so I was a bit rude. Sorry. Seeing people who left the team just makes me feel unsettled for no reason.”

“Not at all. I was a bit startled but… still, it’s good to see you looking healthy.”

“…Phew. Noru, how are you planning to survive in this company with that personality…”

“Haha.”

My personality is average, and this company’s employees’ personalities are the ghost stories…

‘No, wouldn’t I be crazy to act more rudely than this to a former workplace superior who came to save a junior’s life…’

And let’s not even mention that I have a bigger problem than personality (being a coward).

Anyway, Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je gestured at me with a tired expression showing relief.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. Rest well.”

“Wait a moment.”

“Why.”

“About… your hand.”

I carefully directed my gaze to her empty left sleeve.

Eun Ha-je casually waved her arm.

“What? You’re still worried about this? Noru. I said I wouldn’t take the regeneration potion. You use it, you use it.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

There’s a method that recently occurred to me.

“You passed down communication equipment to me.”

“Oh, I did. But I just didn’t need it…”

“So, I’d also like to introduce a piece of equipment to you, Deputy Manager.”

And I flicked my exclusive equipment, the coin.

By giving 500 won to the glove that appears in the air, you can use it….

The Third Hand.

In other words, equipment with the ability to grow one more hand.

“How about using this as parent equipment and trying to customize one for yourself, Deputy Manager?”

“…!”

And that evening on December 31st.

I met Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je wearing a hat in front of the annex building, and we approached the twilight-grade darkness storage facility that creates custom equipment.

[Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]

A giant rusted machine standing tall among fake weeds.

It’s a twilight darkness used almost exclusively by the Field Investigation Team for creating custom equipment.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.

But Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je doesn’t look too pleased about it.

“I feel like I’m bothering you during your break time….”

“Not at all. I was also planning to make new custom equipment soon anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Using this. I got something from the Team Leader….”

I also took out what I had prepared. It was….

-Please return after use. Limit is 1 time.

Equipment that increases physical strength, which I received as parent equipment from Manager Lee Ja-heon!

But Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je was shocked before I could even explain.

“You got that?!”

“Oh, do you know this item, Deputy Manager?”

“Yeah, that belongs to a retired guy… No, the Team Leader is really something. I don’t know how he managed to borrow it when they weren’t even that close.”

I looked down at the equipment in question.

The strange bracelet that looked like it was made by braiding human hair was already more than half broken, sticking out jaggedly like woven straw.

“That thing lets you use superhuman strength temporarily, but the hair breaks the more you use it.”

I see.

“Even considering it’s a consumable, it’s decent equipment. Look at the Team Leader. He’s really the epitome of ‘when the body is strong, the head doesn’t suffer.'”

“….”

That’s an undeniable truth….

Anyway, I tried to let Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je go first, but….

“It’s fine, you go first.”

“…Understood.”

I approached the old LCD screen attached to the machine.

[Please give me plants 0/2]

I put the bracelet I received from Team Leader Lee Ja-heon into the rusted machine.

[Plant information storage complete]

[Please give me plants 1/2]

The next item to put in was….

‘I have quite a few useful items now.’

Hmm.

Considering the properties of the equipment Manager Lee Ja-heon lent me, I had about three decent options.

1. Supplementing durability as a consumable.

2. Preserving the effect of strength enhancement.

3. Combining different functions.

‘About that much.’

Well, since plant gene inheritance is random, there’s a high chance the options won’t go in the direction I want and it could fail….

‘Good.’

After much deliberation, I put in one of the items I had and even authenticated my genetic information to run the machine.

[Combining genetic information]

[Generating kit….]

[Seeding complete]

Thunk.

The front drawer of the machine opened, revealing an item.

A simple bracelet that looked like thin wire.

‘Hmm.’

I carefully took out the metal bracelet and stored it. I’ll have to check its power when I get back.

“Does it look like it turned out well?”

“For now, yes.”

I gathered the items I had put in and stepped back, and now Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je stood in front of the machine and began customizing equipment.

First, she put in her own item.

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s exclusive equipment.

A communication device shaped like a power bank that, when plugged in, allowed smartphones to temporarily communicate with the outside world even in ghost stories.

As it turns out, the button-shaped equipment she had given me was something that came out after putting it in this machine and running it.

“It was an unexpected upgrade. Well, I guess you could call it the luckiest moment of my life.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je grumbled that she seemed to have used up all her luck on something useless, but her hands handling the power bank-shaped custom equipment were quite careful.

And….

“Here it is.”

I put my exclusive equipment, the coin, in as the next item.

Ting.

The coin with a glove drawn on it disappeared into the drawer.

[Combining genetic information]

“…Noru. Usually the probability of getting exactly what you want on the first try is low.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je spoke quietly, as if giving advice.

“So don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out. I’m grateful just that you tried. You understand, right?”

“…Yes.”

I looked at the machine’s screen.

[Generating kit….]

[Seeding complete]

The creation was complete.

The front drawer of the machine opened, revealing an item. It was….

“Gloves??”

It was literally translucent gloves.

The flimsy material gave off an eerie feeling.

“Hmm.”

But when Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je reached out with her right hand to grab it, sparks flew in that direction.

“…!”

“Oh my. Look at this. …Is that spot already taken?”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je grinned and instead brought her empty left hand over.

“Then I’ll take the empty spot.”

The glove then stuck to the empty space like skin.

Like a hand made of electricity.

“…!!”

And… it took on the complete shape of a hand.

“….”

A slightly emotional expression crossed Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je’s face, but it soon faded away as if it were a lie.

Instead, she slowly raised that hand and moved her fingers.

Crackle.

Thin currents of electricity sparked.

“Hmm. There’s even a strange sensation… Is it because of the electric signals? This is quite good. I can just wear gloves to cover the appearance.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je turned to me with a grin.

“Thank you, Noru.”

“….”

“All that nonsense I was spouting earlier turned out to be meaningless. It came out in one try, didn’t it? Thanks to you… I seem to have good luck when I need it most.”

I looked at Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je, who now had both hands… and just nodded.

“Don’t mention it.”

Thinking it was quite a nice scene to witness on the last day of the year.

But just as I was about to wrap things up on that somewhat touching note.

“And… sorry, but do you have anything you need to buy from the Welfare Mall? I could purchase up to 1500 points worth for you, so I was wondering if you could record this as you using it twice.”

Hm?

-Oh, an attempt to erase her own traces… It’s like destroying evidence! Friend, isn’t that right? I wonder what kind of ulterior motive she’s hiding. Shall we gently coax it out of her?

….

‘I don’t think that’s necessary.’

-Hm?

Because I can already roughly guess.

“…Deputy Manager, are you perhaps working in a different department?”

“…!”

As expected.

“This Darkness is almost exclusively used by the Field Investigation Team. The fact that you’re reluctant to leave usage records here… I thought it might be because your affiliation has changed.”

“….”

After a contemplative silence.

“…Well, this is something. I can’t fool you. Noru. You’re still as sharp as ever.”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je smiled bitterly.

“That’s right. I’ve put Field Investigation Team’s Peregrine Falcon on leave, and I’m doing other work at the company….”

“…May I ask what kind of work you’re doing? If not, at least which department?”

“….”

Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je seemed to briefly consider again, but eventually opened her mouth.

“Fine. Since it’s come to this anyway… Well. Noru.”

Along with an unexpected name.

“Director Ho’s Project Team. You know about it.”

“…!”

“I’m working there now.”

What?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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